Super Smash Bros: The Fading World
by CJP298
Summary: After Tabuu's destruction, the World of Trophies was finally at peace. But Master Hand's death has caused space and time to fall out of balance. And when a new enemy rises from the shadows to destroy everything that Master Hand created, the Smashers must reunite and stand against him...before every living being pays the ultimate price.
1. Chapter 1

**Welcome to Super Smash Bros: The Fading World. This is my first fanfic, so I hope it turns out well. By the way, this is a direct sequel to Super Smash Bros Brawl, so it will continue right where Brawl ended. I hope you enjoy the first chapter!**

Link dodged the laserfire from Fox's blaster gun as he slashed his sword at Pikachu. The training room was being put through its paces like never before. It might be only a large, bare dojo, but it had plenty of fighting space. It was often used for battle practice, which was happening now. Electricity crackled in the air as Pikachu leaped to the side and zapped rays of lighting at Link. Link caught the lightning on his sword and deflected it towards Mario, who ducked it and sprayed fire from his hands. Fox activated his Reflector as the flames flared around him, but they couldn't penetrate the Reflector's shield. Fox kicked Link away from him and charged at Mario, but was interrupted by a lightning blast from Pikachu. At the same time, Link drew his bow and shot a few arrows at Mario. Mario leaped high in the air, and then came down towards Link, kicking him in the head. Mario landed lightly next to Link and punched an incoming Pikachu right in the face. This gave Link an opening to grab Mario and slam him as hard as he could on the floor. Pikachu got to his feet and threw a condensed ball of lightning at Link. Link staggered backwards from the impact. Pikachu jumped at Link, but Link recovered too fast for him. Link grabbed his sword and stabbed Pikachu. Pikachu collapsed to the ground, surrounded by a bright glow of light. When the light died, he was an immobile trophy version of himself.

Link stepped around Pikachu's trophy as Mario jumped at him. Link raised his sword in defense, but he'd forgotten about Fox. Fox shot Link in the shoulder, and Link collapsed to the ground, struggling to stay conscious. Mario blasted fire at Fox, who used his Reflector to knock them away. Link got to his feet and drew his bow. He shot an arrow at Fox right when the Reflector was down. Fox saw it coming and tried to get the Reflector back up, but it was too late. The arrow pierced his stomach, and he was surrounded in glowing golden light, which faded and left Fox in his trophy form as well.

Mario took advantage of Link's distraction, pulling out his F.L.U.D.D. water cannon and launching what felt like a tidal wave at Link. Link was knocked to the floor by the water blast. Mario jumped into the air and came down fast at Link. Link retaliated by kicking Mario away. Mario crashed to the ground, the F.L.U.D.D. cannon skidding across the floor. He sprang to his feet and shot more fire at Link, who rolled to avoid them, grabbed F.L.U.D.D., and sprayed water at Mario just in time to block the next wave of fire. The fire and water blasts collided, creating a massive billowing cloud of steam. The entire training room was filled with steam, making it hard to see.

Link dropped F.L.U.D.D. and listened intently for Mario. He heard nothing. Suddenly, Mario jumped out of nowhere and tackled Link, knocking his sword away. Link shoved Mario off and grabbed for his sword as fire flared up around Mario's hands and shot towards Link. The flames caught Link, who collapsed to the ground, glowed with bright light, and became his trophy form.

Mario gasped for breath. He was exhausted from the fight. He waited until he'd got his breath back, then walked towards Link's trophy and touched the base. The trophy glowed and Link was restored to his original form. He grinned.

"Congratulations, Mario," he said. "I think this is the first time you've ever beaten me!"

"Hey!" said Mario, offended. "This is the third time AT LEAST!"

Link laughed as he revived Fox and Pikachu's trophies as well. "Good job, anyway. We need to keep our skills sharp."

"Can you believe it's only been a month since the war?" asked Fox. "It seems like so much longer."

It was hard for any of them to believe that it had only been a month since the war against the Subspace Army. Only a month since the world had almost been sucked into the darkness of Subspace, to be ruled over by Subspace's tyrannical leader, Tabuu. Only a month since Mario, Link, Fox, Pikachu, Samus, Pit, and many others from the World of Trophies had gathered together to journey into the heart of Tabuu's Great Maze and defeat him. The battle had been long and hard, but Tabuu had been destroyed and the world restored to its original state. But it hadn't come without a price. Master Hand, the spirit of creation, was dead.

"I know," said Link. "I'm always expecting Tabuu to come out of nowhere, screaming vengeance."

"Well, he can't do much of anything now, since he's dead," said Fox.

"Pika pika pika!" said Pikachu in his high squeaky voice.

"Well, anyway, there's no point worrying about Subspace now," said Mario. "It's sealed away forever, and we..."

That was about as far as he got before it happened again. Space and time seemed to slow down around them. It was as though the world had decided to stop turning. Mario staggered. Link and Fox felt like they were moving through sand. Pikachu could almost feel the world dissolving around him. And suddenly, it was over. Space around them straightened out and everything was as it should be.

"It's happening, isn't it?" Fox said. "Without Master Hand, there's no creation power anymore. Crazy Hand's power is running unchecked."

Crazy Hand hadn't shown up on either side during the war against the Subspace Army, but there were some who had believed he was just gathering his power. And now that the world seemed to temporarily fall apart at random times and places, most had accepted that Crazy Hand's power was building. No one knew what he was planning to do with it.

"I think so," said Link. "Crazy Hand was never happy with taking a backseat to Master Hand. The only reason he didn't get involved in the war was because he didn't want to risk being killed like Master Hand was. But we don't know where he is. All we know is that space seems to be starting to break down around us."

Fox sighed. "I don't want to see the world fall apart because a giant destruction hand is building up power for some unknown purpose. We need to talk to Crazy Hand. He might be insane, but he'll still listen to reason. Whatever he's trying to do, it can't happen. He doesn't understand balance at all."

"But now that Master Hand is gone, the only way for balance to return is for Crazy Hand to pull back on his power of destruction," said Mario. "And he'd never do that."

"Pika pika pika pika," said Pikachu.

"I don't think he wants this to be happening to the world," said Link. "Not yet, anyway. These temporary blips in space and time are just overspill from Crazy Hand's unchecked power, wherever he is. He doesn't want us to know that he's planning something. He's probably upset that we're already starting to feel effects."

Mario sighed. "All of us working together to defeat Tabuu was a once in a lifetime event. I can't see it happening again, but I'm not going to give up without a fight. Let's get as much of the team back together as we can, and then try to get to Crazy Hand. I know someone who might have an idea on how to find him."

"You do know that there are four of us, right?" said Fox. "It took about forty of us to defeat Tabuu. We might not be able to gather enough help in time."

Link started to reply, but he was cut off by the world slowing down and cutting out around her. He gasped for breath as time and space went to a standstill. The four of them could feel the space around them slowly being destroyed. And suddenly, he heard a voice.

_It's too late for any of you. You can't stop me. You can't even find me. You don't have to know what I'm doing. For now, just enjoy these fadeouts I'm giving you. Don't worry, they're just temporary. For now. Eventually, they'll be increased to such power that the world will tear apart and you'll go with it! _

"Crazy Hand," Fox snarled.

_Wow, you're so SMART! If I do all my homework, will I someday be just like you? _

"You can't get anything past us, Crazy Hand," said Mario. "I know you've never been strong enough to have this kind of energy. Where are you getting your power from?"

_Where am I getting my power from? Don't worry about it, plumber man. You don't have a chance against me anyway._

Crazy Hand laughed hysterically until the sound of his laughter faded into nothing and the space around them folded together again. Link closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Fox growled with anger.

"He has to be getting power from someplace. Where? Where could he get this kind of power?" he said. " He's never been able to cause...what did he call them, fadeouts?...until now."

"The fadeouts will only get worse," said Link. "Right now, they're targeting very small areas. But if Crazy Hand continues at this rate, eventualy he'll be able to envelop miles and miles in a single fadeout. The world would be..."

"Doomed," said Mario. "So I guess we can't let that happen. But we need help if we're going to tackle Crazy Hand before it's too late. And finding out where he gets his power from would be nice."

"Pika pika," said Pikachu.

"How long do we have?" said Fox. "How long do we have until the world is completely and utterly destroyed?"

No one answered, because what scared them was that they had no answer to give.

"Umm...well..." said Link, before he heard something behind him. He spun around, expecting to see Crazy Hand looming over them.

Instead, he saw a massive golden sword swinging towards his face.

**So there you go, the first chapter of Super Smash Bros: The Fading World. I hope you liked it and will want to read the next chapter. Please review, so I'll know best how to improve the later chapters. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry I put this chapter off for so long! In the future, I'll try to take less time between chapters. Anyway, enjoy!**

Pit flew through the sky, dodging around the clouds as he soared down towards the ground. He tightened his grip on his bow as the grassy surface became faintly visible beneath him. He pulled his wings in around him, gliding above the plains below.

Suddenly, a massive metal arm punched up from underground, tearing through the soil. It belonged to a massive robot, which pulled itself up from underground. It was none other than Galleom, the Subspace Army's weapon of mass destruction.

Galleom's eyes glowed red. "Destroy," it said. Rocket jets blasted from under the soles of its metal feet as it rocketed up through the sky towards Pit.

Pit didn't waste time wondering why Galleom was active when the Subspace Army had been destroyed. He didn't wonder why Galleom was targeting him, or how it had gotten here. He flew for his life, dodging the missiles that launched towards him from the launcher on Galleom's shoulder.

"Destroy," said Galleom. "Murder. Kill. Annihilate."

Galleom grabbed at Pit, who dodged desperately, barrel-rolling in between Galleom's fingertips. He retreated, shooting brightly-colored bolts of energy out of his bow. They had very little effect. Galleom's thick armor absorbed the energy easily. Pit flapped his wings hard, flying straight through a cloud as Galleom pursued him higher into the sky.

"Obliterate," said Galleom.

Pit gripped his bow as he dodged another few rounds of missiles. He knew that he had a chance to destroy Galleom, but he had to time it _perfectly_.

Pit ducked low, swooping under Galleom's massive fist. He launched a single bright bolt of power from his bow. It soared through the air and connected directly with Galleom's eye.

Galleom shrieked in pain, smoke coming out of its damaged eye. "_Eradicate!_" it roared, lunging for Pit.

Pit cartwheeled in midair, almost dropping his bow. He knew he couldn't keep this up for much longer..and then it happened.

Galleom slapped Pit hard, knocking him out of the air. Pit gasped as he tumbled toward the earth. Nothing had ever hurt so much. He tried desperately to flap his wings, but he could barely move. The ground came closer and closer. Pit closed his eyes.

A sudden feeling of warmt and safety surrounded him. He opened his eyes to find that he was bathed in golden light. He was hovering about five feet off the ground. And then he heard a voice.

"Don't worry, Pit! I've got you. But you need to hurry north. Something terrible is happening, and you need to stop it."

"...Lady Palutena?" whispered Pit.

"Yes, Pit. Galleom thinks you're dead, so it's gone for now. But it will return. However, you need to head north immediately."

"Yes, Lady Palutena!" said Pit promptly.

"I've healed your wounds as best I can, but you'll still need medical attention as soon as-"

The glowing gold light surrounding Pit flashed bright silver and the temperature around him dropped about thirty degrees. Pit shuddered uncontrollably from the cold as he unexpectedly plummeted the remaining five feet to the ground. The glowing light faded out.

"Lady Palutena?" Pit asked. "Lady Palutena?"

_Wow, you're a moron. And here I thought that plumber was stupid. Did you think that Galleom would be here to annihilate you without me?_

The voice echoed around Pit's mind as he staggered backwards, pulling out his bow. "Who's there? Is that...Crazy Hand?!"

_Hasn't anyone filled you in yet? Then again, I guess they're kind of busy. Some of them are about to kill an innocent person and toss the trophy off a cliff. How very rude of them, but I guess murderers deserve to be killed and tossed off a cliff. _

"What are you talking about, Crazy Hand?" snapped Pit. "None of my friends would ever kill anyone innocent! And who's a murderer?"

_Well, nobody's actually a murderer. That would be too boring and obvious. So I just set someone up instead. That boy with the green hat...what was his name?_

"Link has never killed any of his friends, and he never would! Have you framed him! And where's Lady Palutena!" roared Pit.

_Oh, that goddess lady? I broke her mental connection with you. She's probably weeping uncontrollably right now. Anyway, enjoy Link's death!_

Pit was vaguely aware of the cold around him fading away, but he barely noticed. He was running north as fast as he could. He had to stop Link from being killed.

Pit charged over a hill. In the small valley below, he saw the wreckage of what used to be the training dojo. He saw Link, Mario, Fox, and Pikachu backed up against a pile of rubble. Samus, King Dedede, and Ike were advancing on them. Ike was in the lead, his massive golden sword at the ready. He was seething with rage, but strangely, there also seemed to be tears in his eyes. He raised his sword. Link readied his own blade. Around them, the other five Smashers prepared to continue fighting. By the looks of things, they'd been through a long and awful brawl.

"STOP!" Pit screamed, racing down into the valley. "What are you doing?"

Ike turned toward Pit. "This scum here killed Marth! Marth was a hero! Without Marth, we might not have even defeated Tabuu! And this monster killed him! We found some of Link's hair next Marth's body. Now I'm going to cut him to pieces. And if these traitors insist on defending him, then they'll have to be slaughtered too! I've gathered a few Smashers who are still honorable, and they're going to help me.

"No! You can't!" urged Pit. "Crazy Hand killed Marth and framed Link! He told me himself!"

Ike frowned. "I..I trust you, Pit...but I also trusted Link, and look where that got me. My best friend is dead."

"But it wasn't Link!" said Pit. "Please, I promise you. You have to believe me."

"I've told you over and over I never killed Marth, Ike," said Link.

Samus stepped forward. "I've had a hard time believing Link would kill Marth," she said. "I only agreed to help you because I wanted to avenge Marth's death. It makes sense that Crazy Hand would frame him. Spreading chaos and distrust is exactly what he would do."

King Dedede, Fox, Pikachu, and Mario all voiced their agreement.

Ike closed his eyes. "I believe you. But I need to have proof."

A female voice echoed around them. "Link was innocent, Ike. I was watching. I know."

"Lady Palutena!" grinned Pit joyfully.

"If you're a goddess, why didn't you do something?" demanded Ike.

"I can't just teleport," said Palutena voice. "I'm not a magician. I rushed to Marth's castle as fast as I could, but it was too late."

Ike slowly turned toward Link. "I...I'm sorry. But you need to help me find Crazy Hand and make him pay for what he's done."

"I will," said Link. "I promise."

"And we'll all help too," said Mario. "In fact, that's what we were going to do. I know someone who can help us get to Crazy Hand. We need to find them as soon as possible."

Ike looked at Link, Mario, Fox, Pikachu, Pit, Samus, and King Dedede. "Then I guess we have some work to do," he said.

**Please tell me what you thought of this chapter, so I'll know what to do when I keep writing the later chapters. And if anyone was wondering, yes, I'm going to finish this story. I hate when people just leave a story unfinished. Anyway, thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

Mario, Link, Fox, Pikachu, Samus, Pit, King Dedede and Ike struggled up the snowy mountain. Icy winds blew around them and every so often snow would tumble down onto them and they would be forced to stop and dig their way out.

"Mario!" called Ike. "Are you sure this is the way?"  
"Yes!" Mario replied. "It's been a while since I saw him, but this is where he usually is! I know he can help us find Crazy Hand."

"Usually? That's not very reassuring," muttered King Dedede. "Who exactly are we looking for?"

Mario was about to reply, but he was cut off by a pile of snow crashing down on top of them from one of the other peaks. The eight Smashers were buried in snow. Lasers erupted from Samus and Pit's weapons, carving the snow away. Mario shot flames into the snow, melting it into water instantly. The others moved the displaced slush out of the way until they were finally out.

"Well," said Pit, "that could've been..."

His voice faltered as he looked up and saw who was standing on a snowy ledge a few feet away.

"Lucario," said Link.

**_That's right._**

All eight Smashers had met Lucario before, but it was still a shock to hear his voice in their heads. Lucario couldn't talk, but he could communicate telepathically. Especially after the recent experience with Crazy Hand, it was unnerving. However, while Crazy Hand's voice was high-pitched, Lucario's voice was wiser and lower-pitched.

"Lucario, we need help," said Mario.

**_I probably could've guessed that, considering you walked for miles and miles across a snowy, icy mountain range._**

"So you wanted to find Lucario," said Pit. "How can he help us get to Crazy Hand?"

"As we all know, Lucario can sense and track Aura," said Mario.

"Yes, but Crazy Hand's Aura is shielded!" said Pit.

"Usually," said Link. "But the his recent activities, such as the fadeouts, might have opened him up to be tracked with Aura."

"I see," said Pit.

"Lucario, can you find Crazy Hand?" asked Fox.

**_Well, yes, I can. But nobody can get to him. If it was possible, I would have gone after him myself by now. He flew off the side of Final Destination into the space around it. I don't know what's there. Perhaps I could if I saw it in person. But it doesn't matter, because no Smasher could survive going there. If you jump off the side of Final Destination, you'll stay alive for five seconds until the energy kills you._**

"We have to get there!" said Fox desperately. "But we can't waste our lives like that. There has to be a way to survive!"

"There is," said a voice.

Everyone turned around to see none other than Sonic the Hedgehog.

"Sonic!" said Link. "How did you get here? And what do you mean, there's a way?"

Sonic grinned. "First of all, I got here because I felt the fadeouts, had a heart-to-heart chat with Crazy Hand, and came to the same conclusion you did-that Lucario could help us find him. I got here so quickly because I'm the fastest being in the universe. And there is definitely one way you could probably survive going off the side of Final Destination."

"And what might that be?" asked Samus.

Sonic turned toward her. "Are any of you familiar with the seven Chaos Emeralds?"

Mario frowned. "You mean the seven powerful items that together can transform someone into a super-powerful form, and do other stuff too?"

"Exactly," said Sonic. "Anyway, if you jump off Final Destination while holding one of the Chaos Emeralds, its power would probably protect you. And if you had a jetpack or something, you could fly to Crazy Hand. I use the Chaos Emeralds to turn into Super Sonic, so I never thought I'd part with them, but I guess this is pretty important. I'll let you use the Chaos Emeralds to get to Crazy Hand, but you have to let me come with you."

"I think that's fair," said King Dedede. "Sonic should come. But there's only seven Emeralds. So if Sonic has one, that means only six other Smashers can go too."

"I'm going," said Ike. "I need to show Crazy Hand what happens to those who kill my friends."

"I'm going too," said Mario.

"Me too," said Samus.

**_I have to go. I'm the only one who can guide you to Crazy Hand._**

Eventually, the Smashers decided that Sonic, Mario, Ike, Link, Pit, Lucario, and Samus would each take a Chaos Emerald and fly off Final Destination.

Fox stepped forward. "I'll take Pikachu and King Dedede with me in the Great Fox. We'll fly around outside the entrance to Final Destination. I wish we could just follow you in, but any machinery larger than some kind of jetpack wouldn't make it through."

"We'll need six jetpacks," said Samus. "Pit can fly on his own, but the rest of us can't."  
"Pika pika," said Pikachu.

"I have some on the Great Fox," said Fox. "I'll call Falco to fly them here. Sonic, do you have the Chaos Emeralds?"

"Right here," said Sonic.

"Then let's get ready," said Link. "Everyone take an emerald."

"There's just one thing you should know," said Sonic. "Galleom is hunting us. I barely escaped him on the way here."

After Sonic finished speaking, the Smashers were silent for a moment. The only sound was the icy wind blowing across the mountain peaks. Lucario finally broke the silence.

**_Well, there's no good in panicking about it. If we get moving, Galleom won't be able to find us before we make it into the area beyond Final Destination._**

And that was as far as he got before a fadeout enveloped the group. The Smashers fell to the ground, gasping for breath. Ike stabbed his sword into a nearby snowy rock and pulled himself desperately to his feet. Lucario tried to summon Aura energy to shield them, but the breaking down of molecules around them blocked his power. Mario thought he even saw snow fading and disappearing, vanishing completely from existence.

"It's happening," he said to the other Smashers, trying hard to speak even as space and time broke away around them and crumbled into nothing. "The fadeouts are increasing in power."

_Ooh, goody! All my friends are here! Now it's time to PLAY!_

Ike screamed in rage at Crazy Hand's mocking voice echoing in their minds. He swung his sword through the empty air, trying to reach the source of Crazy Hand's voice.

**_Crazy Hand, this has to stop. This power you're getting isn't natural for anyone to have. Where is this new power coming from?_**

_The blue bunny rabbit wants to know! Awwww...little Lucario! How sweet!_

It was strange to hear the conflicting voices arguing inside everyone's heads. Strangely, it was easy to tell the difference between the speakers.

_I know what you all are doing! You'll never make it to...HEY! Stop it! Didn't I tell you if you tried to escape one more time, I would..._

Crazy Hand's voice unexpectedly disappeared and the effects of the fadeout vanished. The Smashers rose and stared at each other, confused.

"Who was he talking to?" asked Samus. "Is he keeping someone prisoner?"

"Maybe Marth isn't dead!" said Ike. "Maybe Crazy Hand captured him and left behind a fake corpse! He could do that."

"It's possible," said King Dedede. "But we can only find out if we get moving to Final Destination. If he's got Marth, we'll definitely save him. But we'd better get going before Galleom finds us."

The Smashers turned away from the peak and began the journey down the mountain and towards Final Destination, where either their questions would be answered or they would face death.

**Please review my story! And, just so you know, I'm really excited about writing the next chapter. I have a lot of interesting ideas for the story!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I paid attention to all the reviews, and I put a lot of thought into this chapter, so I think you'll like it.**

Mario stood on the edge of Final Destination, staring into the swirling and glowing clouds. He tightened the straps on the jepack Fox had given to him. Around him, Ike, Samus, Link, Sonic, and Lucario all wore the same jetpacks. Pit, who was the only one who didn't need a jetpack, flapped his wings as though he couldn't wait to get off the ground.

"Remember what I said!" called Sonic, struggling to be heard over the roaring winds of Final Destination. "Stay with the group! And don't lose your Chaos Emeralds! If you're unprotected, the energy will kill you in five seconds!"

Each of the Smashers was wearing a belt with a pouch containing one of the Chaos Emeralds.

"I wish we could've just flown in the Great Fox," muttered Ike. "But, of course, machinery much larger than these jetpacks will be destroyed a little ways into the area around Final Destination."

A suddun loud sound caused all seven Smashers to look up. The Great Fox was hovering overhead.

"This is as far as we can go," came Fox's voice out of the ship's speakers. "We came to wish you luck."

"We'll be waiting here if anything goes wrong," came King Dedede's voice.

"Pika pika pika pika!" came Pikachu's voice urgently. "Pika pika pika pika!"

**_Thanks, all of you. And don't worry, Pikachu. We'll make sure not to drop the Chaos Emeralds._**

"He thought we would...drop the only thing keeping us from a painful death?" frowned Samus. "I'm not sure whether or not I should be a little insulted."

"Hey, I was thinking," said Mario. "Why did Marth die? Why didn't he just turn into a trophy?"

Stunned silence followed his words, mostly because the Smashers were disgusted with themselves for not noticing this already.

"I...don't know," said Ike, hope creeping into his voice. "But we did hear Crazy Hand talking to a prisoner, so maybe that was Marth! Maybe Crazy Hand accidentally left behind a fake body instead of a fake trophy."

"I don't think so," came Fox's voice. "Crazy Hand knows how we turn into trophies. He wouldn't make such a stupid mistake."

Link's eyes widened as a look of horror came across his face. "Um...guys?"

"Yeah?" asked Sonic.

Link swallowed hard. "What if the destruction energy from Crazy Hand that's breaking down space and time by causing the fadeouts...is also wrecking the natural cycle? So what if _his power_ is causing us to stay dead?"

Mario turned toward him. "That means...that means...he can just kill us all and we won't come back unless we defeat him."

"He must've intended to turn Marth into a trophy and steal it," said Ike slowly. "But Marth died instead. Crazy Hand must have been as surprised as we are."

"Wait a minute," interjected Fox. "That day in the training room...why didn't Link, Pikachu, and I die instead of becoming trophies?"

"I guess it could've been because we were too far away from the source of Crazy Hand's power," reasoned Samus. "Marth's castle is much closer to Final Destination than the dojo is."

"So, if we die, we'll stay dead unless Crazy Hand is killed to?" asked King Dedede quietly.

"Pika," muttered Pikachu softly.

"I know, right?" said Pit. "I don't want to stay dead either."

At that moment, there was a sound like sheet metal scraping against the side of a building. Unnoticed by the Smashers, Galleom had flown up to Final Destination and grabbed onto the side of the Great Fox with one hand. With the other hand, it started punching the sides of the ship, trying to find a weak spot.

"Galleom!" moaned Pit. "Why now?"

"Massacre. Slaughter. Wreck. Ruin," answered Galleom.

The Great Fox turned on its engines to full power, trying to escape Galleom. Galleom kept a firm hold on the ship, but he was lifted a few feet off the ground. The Great Fox swung around its main cannon and started shooting Galleom in the face. This didn't do much damage, but it did prevent Galleom from smashing up the side of the ship any further.

"Go!" screamed Fox from inside the cockpit. "We can handle this! You need to hurry, before Crazy Hand finds out you're here!"

"We're not just going to leave you!" yelled Link. "He'll tear the ship apart!"

The seven Smashers activated their jetpacks or spread their wings and flew up towards Galleom's head. They landed on it and started smashing it with fire, lasers, swords, or whatever other weapons they had. Galleom roared in pain.

"Destroy! Crush! Annihilate!" Galleom shrieked in its mechanical voice. It swung itself around, desperately trying to dislodge the Smashers without letting go over the Great Fox. Sparks were spraying from Galleom's damaged face as it staggered around. Its eyes were badly damaged; it couldn't see where it was going. And then suddenly, Galleom tripped, stumbled, and fell straight off the side of Final Destination, still holding on to the Great Fox and with the seven Smashers on his head.

Galleom plummeted through the space below Final Destination, screaming as the energy in the air ripped through its metal armor plating. With shock, the Smashers all remembered what Sonic had warned them- that no machinery any larger than their jetpacks could survive the space around Final Destination.

Unfortunately that included the Great Fox.

The Great Fox started to fall apart, wires and metal tearing off and soaring away. Fox, King Dedede, and Pikachu were hitting every emergency button they could find, until those eventually fell apart too. And all the while, Galleom was suffering the same fate. As for the seven Smashers with the Chaos Emeralds, they had their jetpacks on and were keeping pace with the falling Galleom and Great Fox in the hopes that they could help the Great Fox stay together.

But there was no hope. Finally, both Galleom and the Great Fox shredded into nothing, leaving Fox, King Dedede, and Pikachu tumbling through the air, unprotected by any Chaos Emeralds.

**_NO!_**

Lucario's cry of panic and rage rang out as he flew desperately toward the three falling Smashers, pushing his jetpack to the limit. The six other protected Smashers soared towards Fox, King Dedede, and Pikachu, trying to catch them and share the Chaos Emeralds' protection.

But there was no way to reach them within five seconds, and as the protected Smashers helplessly watched, Fox, King Dedede, and Pikachu simply disappeared in midair. Gone. Completely destroyed.

"No!" whispered Samus.

The seven Smashers hovered silently for a moment. Three of their friends had just died, joining Marth in the ranks of the dead. All Smashers from now on who were killed would stay dead, instead of becoming trophies. And the only way to bring any of them back was to defeat the insane spirit of destruction with unnatural powers and a plan to destroy the universe. There were seven of them, and they were alone. No help would be coming, because there was no other way to survive the space around Final Destination besides the Chaos Emeralds.

Lucario closed his eyes. Blue Aura flames glowed around his hands.

**_We need to keep going. The only way to save Marth, Pikachu, Fox, and King Dedede is to destroy Crazy Hand, so that's what we're going to do. I can still use my Aura to guide us. We're not that far away from him._**

Sonic grinned. "Let's do this. Let's make Crazy Hand sorry he ever showed his face around us."

**Emo Sprite, in your review, you mentioned that you were disappointed Marth had died instead of becoming a trophy. Well, now you know why! Doesn't look good for the Smashers, does it? Anyway, thanks for reading! Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I am SO sorry that this took so long! First there were the holidays, and then I had a lot of stuff going on in January and February, but still, I'm sorry I didn't write this sooner. But I worked hard on this chapter, so I think you'll really like it. I hope it makes up for me being gone for so long. Incidentally, while writing this chapter, I decided to change the story rating to T, just to be safe.**

**Emo Sprite: Your reviews gave me ideas for the last chapter (and for this one), so thank you!**

**DarkX: There will be multiple deaths in the future. But I promise that everyone who dies will come back. Eventually...**

**Ajax's Ghost: Sorry that you lost access to your account! And as for Roy...wait and see...**

**Anyway, here's Chapter 5!**

No Smasher had ever gone into the space around Final Destination and survived. Master Hand had sent many Smashers falling off the edge during his time, but none of them had fallen for more than a few seconds before the strange energy killed them and they fell the long rest of the way down to earth as trophies. Most Smashers speculated that Final Destination itself was at the very center of the swirling vortex of clouds that formed the lethal energies and space around it. The only way Smashers could even get to Final Destination was by using a telporting device stored in the most secure vaults of Hyrule Castle when it wasn't in use. Final Destination remained unexplored, unknown. Until now.

Ike, Samus, Sonic, Mario, Link, Lucario, and Pit were flying through the space around Final Destination. The Chaos Emeralds they were using to protect themelves from the deadly energy around Final Destination bounced around in the pouches the Smashers were carrying with them.

Lucario closed his eyes as he flew. Blue Aura flames glowed around him.

**_We're close. Very, very close. Crazy Hand is nearby, I can sense it. He's angry, though. Something is happening. Something big..._**

Pit murmured a prayer to Lady Palutena. "What else could be happening? Does he know we're here?"

Right on cue, a high-pitched, shrieking laugh echoed through the Smashers' minds. The temperature around them seemed to drop ten degrees.

_Hello, friends! I'm so glad you came! Now I can come up with even more amusing ways to kill you by putting you through the most horrible suffering possible! Oh joy, it's going to be so much fun!_

"Ignore him,"groaned Sonic. "Just ignore him. We're almost there."

_Ooooooooh, isn't that exciting? Well guess what? You might be getting closer than you think!_

"No one's listening, Crazy Hand," snapped Ike. "Shut up and get out of our heads!"

_Temper, temper. You're obviously listening, otherwise you wouldn't have-_

Crazy Hand's voice cut off as Lucario screamed, drawing forth his Aura energy and blasting it off away from him. The air felt normal again. Crazy Hand's voice was gone. His presence had disappeared from their minds.

"Ummmm..." said Mario. "What...was that?"

**_I purged Crazy Hand from our subconcious, and I'm trying to keep him out of our heads. But he's too strong to hold back for much longer._**

"Wow, Lucario, you're always full of new powers," said Link, impressed. "But can you still sense our way to Crazy Hand?"

**_Probably not, but that doesn't matter. Crazy Hand's just about broken through my psychic defenses. I was just hoping to give us a break, but...oh, too late, here he comes._**

With a sound like shattering glass, the Smashers felt Crazy Hand's evil presence flood through them, stronger than ever.

_You can't stop me! You can't even hold me out for more than a minute! How will you defeat me? How will you stop my plans? How? How?! "_HOW?!"

Crazy Hand's telepathic communication transitioned into a loud, screaming voice. The Smashers were certain that this was no mental voice. They had heard Crazy Hand's real voice. In person.

"He's here," whispered Samus.

Crazy Hand came out of nowhere, tearing through the air and smashing full speed into Ike. Ike went tumbling through the air, his jetpack out of control. Crazy Hand laughed insanely.

"So you finally made it this far! Good! Now I can actually talk to you! I personally don't enjoy the mental communication. You know what they say: people's social skills are getting worse than ever these days!"

Crazy Hand spread his fingers apart, blasting blue laser beams at the Smashers. They separated left and right, dodging and weaving through the air to avoid the blasts.

"Split up!" yelled Ike.

"We're already split up!" yelled Pit, rolling over in midair to avoid a laser.

Link flew toward Crazy Hand. "Go for his index finger!"

Samus aimed her arm cannon at Crazy Hand, blasting missile after missile into him. They had very little effect on him. Crazy Hand swung himself left and right, swatting the Smashers away. Link and Ike slashed with their sword, rolling in between Crazy Hand's fingers while aiming for his knuckles. They were still unable to inflict more than trivial wounds. Crazy Hand laughed maniacally as he began spawning and throwing bombs at the Smashers. Lucario hurled Aura shields near all the other Smashers, which were able to deflect or absorb many of the bombs. Sonic chaged at Crazy Hand, distracting him enough to give the other Smashers an opening. Pit pulled out his bow and launched light arrows into Crazy Hand, while Mario landed on Crazy Hand's back and unleashed more fire onto him than he ever had in his life.

Crazy Hand screamed in pain, rolling in midair to put out the flames and throwing Mario off. This only served to fan the flames and make them stronger. Crazy Hand let out a moan as he hunched over in midair, on fire.

"Wow...Mario..." Link said. "That was impressive. But you should really start with that attack next time."

"I didn't know I could do that," whispered Mario, shocked. "But my fire is depleted. I can't summon even the tiniest flame now. I hope I won't need to use any fire for... a good while."

Crazy Hand screamed, more of rage than of pain, and spread his fingers apart. A glowing purple light surrounded him, glowing so bright that the Smashers had to turn away, so bright that the light of the flames couldn't even be seen. When the glowing purple light faded, the fire was gone. Crazy Hand's injuries were gone. He seemed to be surrounded by dark, destructive energy. The Smashers were too stunned to even react.

"I CANNOT BE DEFEATED!" roared Crazy Hand. "I have grown! I have power beyond anything anyone has ever known! I have powers that make Master Hand look like NOTHING compared to me! All will kneel before me! Not even Tabuu would be able to stand before me! You shall surrender, or I will ANNIHILATE you and everyone you know! You can't hurt me! NOTHING CAN HURT ME!"

Crazy Hand's last sentence, seemingly hurled at the Smashers, felt as though it were washing over them and tearing away their energy and will to fight.

**_Where are you getting your power, Crazy Hand? What has happened to you?_**

Lucario sounded more enraged than anyone had ever heard him. Crazy Hand turned towards him, the glowing light around him expanding.

"You will never know! You will die ignorant, fool! None of you can imagine the lengths I went to, what I was willing to do to gain this power! You will all die!"

**_NO!_**

Lucario's eyes glowed as he unleashed the full extent of his Aura abilities. A massive Aura Storm beam appeared around him and blasted towards Crazy Hand. Crazy Hand curled his fingers and blasted a massive purple beam that met the Aura Storm attack in midair. Lucario and Crazy Hand unleashed the full extent of their powers, the two beams meeting in midair. The point where the two blasts met became a swirling vortex of energy. The other six Smashers tried to help, but the energy pushed them away whenever they got too close to Lucario or Crazy Hand. Pit's Light Arrows were simply absorbed into the vortex, as were any other projectile attacks the Smashers tried. Lucario focused his power, the Aura Storm blast growing more focused and powerful, strong enough to topple a skyscraper with a single hit. Crazy Hand snarled as he clenched his hand, sending as much destruction energy as he could muster to meet Lucario's Aura Storm. The built-up energy was too great. Something had to give way. Something had to surrender.

Something did.

Crazy Hand's relentless destructive assault overwhelmed Lucario. The Aura Storm beam began to fade as Crazy Hand's dark energy absorbed it. Lucario maintained his Aura defense as long as he could. Finally, the dark blast reached Lucario. In a single, explosive burst of light, the Aura was shredded apart. Lucario was enveloped in a blast of dark purple energy as Crazy Hand completely lost control, giving off massive amounts of dark energy. Destructive power streamed in all directions. The most powerful fadeout the Smashers could possibly imagine began to envelop them. The space around them was tearing apart. The glowing, bright clouds around them changed to a dark, angry black. Purple lightning crackled within them.

Lucario was annihilated by the explosion of power. The other six Smashers helplessly watched as Lucario was killed by the destruction energy.

Crazy Hand screamed with laughter. "You will all die! You will all DIE!"

On the last word, the very space around them blew apart, sending the six Smashers spiraling off in all directions. Crazy Hand became a beacon in the center of a swirling cyclone of destruction. Space and time warped, shifted, and tore into nothingness. Every inch of matter within 50 feet of Crazy Hand was sucked away and destroyed. The jetpacks the Smashers were wearing crumpled and ripped apart, as did the Chaos Emeralds. And with the Chaos Emeralds destroyed, the Smashers could not survive. They fell helplessly through the air as Crazy Hand's wrath tore a 50-foot sphere of absolute nothingness into the space around Final Destination.

The doomed Chaos Emeralds had offered the Smashers enough protection to help them survive being obliterated along with everything else near Crazy Hand. But they had no way of protecting themselves from the lethal energies in the space around Final Destination, and no way of protecting themselves from Crazy Hand's unbelievable new abilities.

"And so it ends!" shouted Crazy Hand gleefully. "You have been added to the list of those who fell before me!"

Mario wasn't even listening. He didn't fear death; none of the Smashers did. What he did fear was failing everyone who had relied on him and the other Smashers who fell with him. These thoughts raced through his mind even as he fell, subconciously counting down the five remaining seconds he had to live.

One...two...

Mario knew that Smashers couldn't really die. The magic that had caused them to turn into trophies could not be undone, not even by Crazy Hand with his newfound powers. Crazy Hand was only able to block the way back into the world. Fox, King Dedede, Pikachu, and Marth had already experienced a Smasher's version of death. Now he was going to follow them.

Three...four...

Mario could see the other Smashers being killed and sucked out of existence around him.

Five...

"I'm sorry, Peach," Mario whispered.

Mario closed his eyes as the energies of Final Destination ended his life.

**DON'T WORRY! This is NOT the end! The story WILL continue...as a matter of fact, I'm going to try to get the next chapter posted quickly if I can. And I'll try to limit the deaths more in the future, but I might not be able to...**

**Anyway, thanks for reading! I hope you'll forgive me for not posting for so long.**


	6. Chapter 6

**All right! Next chapter! It hasn't been ****_too_**** long since the last one, I hope. Anyway, enjoy the chapter- I'm excited about it!**

It didn't hurt. That was a good thing. It also wasn't too dark, cold, or terrifying. As a matter of fact, it was almost pleasant, if you ignored the fact that everyone in the room was dead.

Mario hovered in the middle of a vast, empty white light. Nothing could be seen in any direction except for the bright light, no matter how hard Mario looked. He became aware that he was floating in midair, and there was nothing he could do about it. He couldn't move. Through the corner of his eye, he saw the other six Smashers who had died with him. They looked just as confused as he was.

Pit broke the silence. "So, this is the afterlife. Or our version of it, anyway. I always wondered what would happen if something caused us to actually die, rather than turn into a trophy".

Although the Smashers couldn't move, they could still speak. Regardless, silence followed Pit's words.

**_I'm sorry, everyone. He was too powerful._**

Lucario's telepathic voice, once strong and powerful, was as quiet as a thought in the Smasher's minds. He had brought forth every ounce of his Aura power in a failed attempt to stop Crazy Hand.

"Don't beat yourself up," said Ike. "It's not like any of us did any better. Ugh, I wish I could...move, or do something! What's happening out in the world of the living?"

As if on cue, a figure appeared out of nowhere floating silently toward them. They glowed with the light that surrounded all souls. Mario could tell he was looking at another dead Smasher. One who seemed to be able to control their movements in the afterlife.

"Fox?" called Samus. "Marth?"

There was no answer, but as the figure came closer, the Smashers gasped. They knew who it was. Mario would never forget the cold eyes, the three-fingered hands, the long tail, and the face that seemed to radiate darkness. Yet despite these characteristics, Mario knew that this being was a friend, or at least an ally, despite the fact that they hadn't been seen in the World of Trophies for years.

"Mewtwo," he said.

Mewtwo turned to look at him. His eyes narrowed.

**So. You're here. What happened out there? What did Crazy Hand do?**

Mewtwo's voice was similar to Lucario's, but sterner and angrier. He looked at each of the Smashers, making eye contact for a few seconds with everyone.

**You're probably upset that you can't move. Don't worry, it's just a side effect of dying. It'll wear off right about now.**

Feeling flooded back into the Smashers' bodies. As they hovered in the endless bright light, they they floated forwards and backwards, trying to get used to this strange new way of moving.

"Mewtwo, what are you doing here? What is this place? You didn't die, so how did you get here?" asked Link.

**This isn't exactly the afterlife. Smashers aren't supposed to be able to die. Your souls only came here because there was no other option. This is the realm of the forgotten Smashers.**

"Forgotten Smashers?" frowned Sonic. "What forgotten Smashers?"

Out of the light came several more figures. Shock overwhelmed the Smashers, for these were people that they had never thought they would see again. Roy came forward first, followed by Dr. Mario, Pichu, and Young Link.

"Roy?" whispered Link. "What are you doing here?"

Roy grinned. "I bet you thought you'd never see me again, didn't you? A few years ago, we were forgotten by the beings who watch over us. They abandoned us, and now our forgotten spirits have ended up here. We used to be Smashers just like everyone else."

"I'm basically you, Link," added Young Link. "And Dr. Mario is basically Mario. And Pichu is basically Pikachu. We aren't that different than you, so unfortunately the great beings haven't paid us much attention for a long time."

**I was too volatile. Too dangerous. I was a pretty good Smasher, but it was probably for the better that I ended up here. If Tabuu had asked me to join him, I don't know what I would have done. I'm honestly shocked you ever beat him at all.**

"Thanks," muttered Sonic.

"Speaking of Tabuu, you can see him if you want," added Roy.

"What?!" shrieked Samus. "See Tabuu? Why would we ever want to do that?"

"And where's Marth?" added Ike. "He's here, isn't he? And Fox, Pikachu, and King Dedede?"

**They're not here. Why would they be? Crazy Hand didn't kill them. He destroyed their spirits. Their souls will be torn apart if Crazy Hand isn't defeated soon. And as for Tabuu, he died normally, so he's here. He's usually kept imprisoned, but sometimes we let him out for a while...under heavy guard.**

Stunned silence followed these revelations. Finally, Mario cleared his throat.

"So our friends might be gone forever?" he said quietly. "Their souls could be lost?"

"What do you think?" Dr. Mario replied. "Crazy Hand wouldn't have killed them. That would be too normal and obvious. He wants to tear you apart emotionally. He wants you to know that you can't fully escape the effects of his destructive power, even in death. And he won't stop with them. You seven Smashers- Mario, Pit, Ike, Samus, Sonic, Link, and Lucario- you didn't technically die by his hand. Yes, he unleashed a wave of power that destroyed the jetpacks and Chaos Emeralds, but that wasn't what killed you. The dark energies of Final Destination killed you."

"He wanted to kill each of you, which would've made you just part of his planned list of victims whose spirits will be destroyed. But he lost control and recklessly caused you to fall. Of course, he was happy at first, with his 'you have been added to the list of those who fell before me' routine. But later, when it was too late, he realized what he had done," added Young Link.

**He went on an awful rampage. He realized that we would be able to tell you his plans. After all, we're dead. We see everything that happens in the world. And if by some chance you were able to get back to the real world, you could stop him. The thought of failure was too much. Whatever threads of sanity he had snapped. So many other Smashers fell before him...**

"Others?" whispered Sonic. "What others?"

** He destroyed whoever crossed his path, their spirits torn apart into oblivion, with any chance of recovering them fading fast. Peach, Zelda, Falco, Kirby, Meta Knight, and Yoshi are gone.**

Mario and Link fell to their knees in grief and despair, with the knowledge that their loved ones were gone, most likely forever. Leaving no way, not even death, of seeing them again. The other Smashers staggered, shocked and horrified at Crazy Hand's wrath. He was able to crush several Smashers, trying to doom them to an eternity of nonbeing.

"It's not too late," said Roy. "We can still save them."

"He's right," said Ike quietly, his voice strong despite the fact that he would probably never see Marth, his best friend, ever again.

"We need to talk to Tabuu," sighed Pit. "He was able to defeat Master Hand, and he must've defeated Crazy Hand too, otherwise Crazy Hand would have challenged him for ownership of Subspace and of the Subspace Army."

Link took a deep breath and turned towards the forgotten Smashers. "All right then," he said. "Take us to Tabuu."

**This chapter was supposed to be longer, but I decided to split it up into two chapters instead. I'll try and hurry with the next one. As always, thank you for reading, and please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**The story was on hiatus for a while, but don't worry, I'm back now! Enjoy this chapter!**

Mewtwo led the seven Smashers down a dark metal hallway. An eerie red glow provided a dim light, in which the Smashers could still barely see each other. After walking for a while, they stopped in front of a massive metal door.

"If this is the land of the dead, then why do you have a military prison?" asked Samus.

**How am I supposed to know? I woke up one morning, and instead of being in the World of Trophies, I was here. All I know is that when you killed Tabuu, he ended up behind this door. Don't worry, he's restrained, so he won't attack us. In fact, he's barely tried to escape. I don't know where he would go, but it's rumored that there's a way back to the world of the living, and he's the only one who knows it. But of course he won't tell anyone.**

"A way _back?_" asked Mario, not daring to believe it. "If we could get back, we could still stop Crazy Hand and save everyone's souls from being obliterated."

Mewtwo laughed loudly. This was not the response Mario had been expecting. Or maybe it was.

**Stop Crazy Hand? Please. You're better off here. At least here you'll be able to enjoy the afterlife. Better than going back out there, being slaughtered, and enjoying the delightful privilege of having your soul doomed to eternal oblivion by a deranged spirit of destruction with unimaginable powers gained from an unknown source. But if you want to, be my guest. Tabuu might help you, if he's in a good mood. Which he never is, so there you have it.**

Mewtwo stepped up to the metal door. The Smashers were unsure how he would open it: there was no handle, keyhole, or security device of any kind. It was basically a large metal wall.

Mewtwo closed his eyes and walked right through the center of the door.

"How..." gasped Sonic. "How did he do that? They're not ghosts, so..."

Mewtwo's voice came back at them loudly.

**I've given you permission to enter, so you can walk through the door too. But don't think about trying this without a forgotten Smasher to help you. It won't work.**

Pit was skeptical, but he'd seen some strange things in his time, including a goddess who used her own head as a weapon. He ran at the door and passed right through it.

"Guys? It's okay!" he called. "You can come...through..."

Pit's voice trailed off as he turned toward the center of the room. The other Smashers followed him in to see what the problem was.

"Oh," said Link quietly.

They were in a massive metal room, as big as the main hall of Hyrule Castle, with ceilings just as high. The room was completely empty except for a glowing red pod about ten feet long and eight feet high. The pod hovered in midair in the exact center of the room. The glowing red light it gave off reminded the Smashers of the light in the hallway. The pod was see-through, so everyone in the room could see who was imprisoned within it. Ike found his voice first.

"Tabuu," he said.

Tabuu had been facing away from the door, but when he heard Ike's voice, he turned around. He was exactly the same as the Smashers had remembered him. His face was blank and expressionless as he surveyed Mewtwo and the Smashers.

"May I help you?" he asked with mock politeness.

Mario stepped forward. "Tabuu. Crazy Hand has..."

"...gone on a destructive rampage with incredible new powers that nobody can possibly fathom where they have come from. He's also gained the ability to temporarily break apart all matter within a certain area, which is known as a fadeout. He murdered several other Smashers, although he's also cast their souls into nothingness, and their spirits will deteriorate irreversibly within twenty-four hours. The only reason you seven are here is because he accidentally didn't kill you through his own power. Now you want my help to find the way back to the world of the living so you can try to take advantage of your pitifully small chance to defeat him."

The Smashers were silent for several minutes after this speech.

**Yes, I probably should've mentioned that being dead gives you the ability to mentally see what's happening in the world. You don't know how to do it yet, but I bet you can do it now if you try.**

The Smashers closed their eyes and tried as hard as they could to see what was happening in the world. Lucario managed it first, since he had the most experience with mental powers.

**_I think I'm doing it!_**

Lucario willed himself to see the world. He imagined his mind soaring through space and looking out on the World of Trophies. But there seemed to be something blocking him. A shadow...

**_I can't..._**

Lucario pushed harder and harder, his eyes closed tight, using every bit of his mental powers. And suddenly, he broke through the mental barrier and he could see the World of Trophies. It was as if he were standing there in person.

And he couldn't believe what he saw.

An endless, barren wastland, stretching out in all directions. Lucario saw the ruins of Peach's castle, crumbling and collapsing. He saw destroyed buildings and trees that had been ripped out of the ground. And on the horizon, Lucario saw Crazy Hand.

Lucario had to remind himself that he wasn't really there before he dared approach Crazy Hand. Crazy Hand was bent over, muttering to himself. As Lucario approached, Crazy Hand turned toward him and screamed. The vision tore itself apart in streaks of red light and Lucario's eyes shot open as he found himself back in Tabuu's cell.

**_It's gone. It's all destroyed. Crazy Hand's the only one left. He's lost all control of his power, unless this is really what he wanted._**

"Tabuu!" snapped Link. "How do we get back to the world?"

Tabuu looked down at them with mild amusement. "And I'd tell you that...why? The World of Trophies is of no concern to me. If I can't have it, no one can. Let Crazy Hand wreck it."

"He already has," said Samus. "Why, Tabuu? Can't you at least tell us why? All of the other Smashers have been erased from the earth, and we're dead. You're literally our only hope. What do you have to lose?"

Tabuu stared at her incredulously. "What do I have to lose? Are you even more of a fool than I'd thought? My ambitions were shattered...by all of you! I'm trapped here for eternity! The only thing I could possibly have left is the destruction of you and everything you love! Screw that, everything you know! You ruined me!"

"What about _you?_" challenged Sonic. "You tore apart the R.O.B.s' lives. There used to be hundreds; now there's only one. You put them through suffering nothing should have to endure. You forced them to kill themselves and each other."

"I don't care," said Tabuu simply. "I'm too busy laughing at Sonic the Sensible to care. When did you ever care about anything?"

Sonic snarled with anger. "I care about..."

"Yes, yes," said Tabuu. "Maybe you did once, but not anymore. You are the only Smasher of your kind. Now that all the others are gone, as Lucario saw, you don't have anything to be upset about!"

Sonic jumped up, spinning into a ball and smashing into the side of Tabuu's prison pod. The impact sent shock waves across the whole room, but the prison was not damaged.

"Please," mocked Tabuu. "I am the most powerful being in the universe. If I can't break the pod, nobody can break it. I would know; I've tried."

Tabuu spread his colorful wings, which were glowing with power. He closed his eyes and unleashed the Off Waves. They had absolutely no effect on the inside of the prison pod. Tabuu rolled his eyes.

"Really," he said. "All I did was try to annihilate the known universe, and look where they put me. Unbelievable."

"Fine," replied Pit. "We'll enjoy the nice, cozy afterlife with our friends the forgotten Smashers and leave you to spend the rest of eternity here. Meanwhile, the whole world will be destroyed. I guess you got what you wanted, Tabuu."

Pit turned away, and the others followed him.

**I warned you.**

"Shut up," snapped Ike.

As the Smashers headed toward the door, none of them noticed the sudden gleam in Tabuu's eyes.

"Wait!" he called.

The Smashers turned around and saw Tabuu watching them excitedly.

"I'll tell you the way into the world, on one condition," he said. "You'll have to take me with you."

Silence followed Tabuu's words.

"It's our only option," said Mario in a small voice. "It's also the only chance we'll ever have. We only have around twenty-four hours left to restore the World of Trophies. We're the only Smashers left; all the others are gone. The world we once knew is destroyed. It'll fade out of existence before long. We have to do this."

All the other Smashers murmured their agreement.

**I always thought you were stupid, but I guess we could take Tabuu down, if it came to that.**

"It's decided, then," announced Samus. She turned back toward Tabuu's cell. "All right, Tabuu, you're coming with us."

**I'm planning on two or three more chapters, and I'll try to get them finished a bit faster this time! Thank you for reading (and putting up with the long waits) and please review!**


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